20 19 (3) Jingbo lake in Changbai mountain-challenge 1442 steps
We took a bus from Changchun at 7: 00 in the morning, drove for about five and a half hours to the western scenic spot of Changbai Mountain, then changed to an eco-car in the scenic spot, and arrived at Tianchi parking lot in about 40 minutes. We will have two chances to see Tianchi, the first day from the west slope and the second day from the north slope. After getting out of the parking lot, we have to climb 1442 steps on foot to reach the top of the slope. This is undoubtedly a great test for the two old people. Considering that my wife's knee joint is not very good, I asked her if she wanted to go up. It's a pity that she can't say, because she has come so far. So she pulled the railing with her hand and climbed up with the help of her hand. Although slower than others, we managed to reach the top of the slope.
Thankfully, there is neither rain nor fog at the top of the slope. I saw Tianchi lying quietly between the peaks. The clouds in the sky are thick, and most of the sunshine is covered by clouds. The color of the pool water is not as deep as we thought. The tour guide said that we were lucky enough. Only 10% of the tourists who come up every year can see Tianchi Lake. God has no face for Mr. Jiang and has not seen Tianchi for three times.
According to reports, Tianchi is a crater lake with a maximum water depth of 373 meters. Tianchi is surrounded by more than a dozen circular peaks, all of which are above 2500 meters above sea level, of which Jiangjun Peak on the Korean side is the highest, with an altitude of 2749 meters. There is a gap on the north side of Tianchi Lake, and the water flows down to the north, forming a Changbai waterfall as high as 68 meters at the end. The waterfall is located in the north slope scenic spot, and we went the next day.
The top of the mountain is very cold, and there is a lot of snow. There is a boundary pillar on it, which is the dividing line between China and North Korea. It is reported that Tianchi has always been the territory of China. Later, the older generation of revolutionaries gave part to AIA. Now only 48% of the surface of Tianchi belongs to China, so we can only climb to the top of the mountain from the west and north slopes to see Tianchi.
Out of curiosity, I went back to the hotel and checked the ownership of Tianchi on the Internet. The following is Baidu's statement.
It can be seen from here that Tianchi and Changbai Mountain have always belonged to our territory. Kim Il Sung wanted to build a holy land for the Korean revolution and asked China to cede some Tianchi and Changbai Mountains. China agreed to the request and ceded half of Tianchi Lake and part of Changbai Mountain to North Korea in 1962. This is my first time to see this history, which I believe many people in China may not know.
It takes about 2 hours to drive down from Changbai Mountain to the Holiday Inn in Chai Jin, Changbai Mountain, where we stay at night. It was still early when we arrived at the hotel, and we strolled around Baihe Town, Erdao, where the hotel is located. Erdaobaihe Town is the seat of the government of Changbai Mountain Protection Development Zone, which is directly under the jurisdiction of Jilin Province. This small town is not small, and it is said that it was once rated as one of the top 20 towns in the world. The scenery in this town is very good. Interestingly, there are no traffic lights in this town.
On June 13, we took a bus to the north scenic spot of Changbai Mountain, took an eco-car in the scenic spot, transferred to the station entrance of Tianchi, and then transferred to the station entrance to reach the astronomical peak, the first peak in Northeast China, with an altitude of 269 1, and watched Tianchi in Changbai Mountain from the north slope, thus avoiding the pain of climbing the mountain. Unfortunately, the weather is not good, and it is only at the top of the slope that the existing dense fog is found, not to mention Tianchi, and even people who are several meters apart can't see it clearly. The picture below shows a group of young people sitting on the ground waiting to see Tianchi. The temperature on the mountain is very low. Luckily, there was a shop, so we hid in it to kill time. I saw a crystal stone in the gift shop and bought it as a souvenir. We waited hard on the mountain for two hours, but the fog never dispersed. It is estimated that there is no hope to see Tianchi, and the two hours given by the tour guide are coming soon. You can only take a bus back to the foot of the mountain from the scenic spot.
10:30 Take the scenic eco-car to the next scenic spot Changbai Waterfall. Below the waterfall, on the right side of Erdaobai River, there are more than ten hot springs with spouts, which are called Julong Hot Springs. The eco-car in the scenic spot is parked next to the hot spring group. In the first photo on the left, the white dots are waterfalls. It takes nearly half an hour to walk from the parking spot to the waterfall. We were a little tired that day, so we rested by Julong Hot Spring, but we didn't go to see the waterfall. The water temperature in the hot springs here is as high as 82 degrees, and you can boil eggs. Small shops on the roadside sell hot spring eggs and corn. We bought two eggs and tasted them. It felt no different from ordinary boiled eggs, and it was also an experience.
13:30, we took the scenic eco-car to Xiaotianchi, the location of TV series Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain. Xiaotianchi is hidden in the quiet Yuehua forest, with an altitude of1780m. It is a round lake with a water depth of over10m, and its water is green, just like ordinary lakes.
After half an hour, take the scenic green car to Luyuantan, which is a pool in the scenic area on the north slope. Because its water is green and clear, it resembles the water of Jiuzhai, so it has the reputation of "Little Jiuzhai in Northeast China". There is a waterfall down the cliff on the side of Luyuantan, and the scenery is elegant.
Luyuantan is surrounded by forests at the bottom of the valley, which is a scenic spot with low altitude in Changbai Mountain, also called "underground forest". Due to orogeny and volcanic activity, a large area of strata collapsed and the whole forest sank to the bottom. The air here is fresh and the negative ion content is high.
On June 14, we drove from Changbai Mountain to Jingbo Lake, passing through the ginseng base under Changbai Mountain forest, and experienced ginseng excavation and Manchu wedding. The tour guide told us that everyone can choose a ginseng in the field, and the old man will pick it for us and take it home with plastic packaging.
When I was in the northeast in my early years, I heard that there were many rules for collecting wild ginseng, such as worshipping mountain gods. This time, the old man performed for us. Nowadays, wild ginseng is very rare. I took out a wild ginseng with a history of 50 years. Its value should be high, but now there are too many fakes, especially tourist attractions, and no one dares to buy them. At present, ginseng is mostly cultivated artificially, which is cheap, but its nutritional value is much worse than that of wild ginseng.
Another program here is Manchu wedding. The tour guide asked us to choose a couple to perform, and everyone unanimously chose the Lao Li couple in Tianjin. The picture below shows the Manchu wedding photo of Lao Li and his wife. Lao Li is very humorous and plays very vividly. Everyone applauded for them.
Then we went to Jingbo Lake Scenic Area, which is called West Lake in the north and is a famous summer resort. The main attractions of Jingbo Lake are Diaoshuilou Waterfall and Baili Lake.
The picture below shows our fish feast in Jingbo Lake at noon. The fish in Jingbo Lake was tender and delicious, and everyone had a great meal. After dinner, the guide took us to visit Jingbo Lake Scenic Area. The first one is Diaoshuilou Waterfall. The tour guide said this is a must-see spot in the scenic spot. Maybe we have seen too many waterfalls around the world and think this waterfall has a wide field of vision. Our group and the tour guide took a photo by the waterfall.
It rained lightly after leaving the waterfall, and we followed the guide for a walk in the rain. Passing through Luohong Women's Cultural Park and Bohai Ancient Sculpture Park, it is said that these sculptures romanticize the marriage customs of ancient desert red people along Jingbo Lake and reproduce the customs of ancient Bohai Kingdom. I know nothing about this history and have little interest. A group of us talked and laughed all the way. After more than an hour, we returned to the dock and went back to the hotel room to rest.
June 15 is the last day of this trip. We got up early and walked casually along the lake. It's raining in Mao Mao and the air is fresh. We feel refreshed. It is misty and rainy in the distance, with picturesque lakes and mountains. Jingbo Lake is known as a hundred miles long lake, and you can take a boat trip to the lake. But when the tour guide consulted us the day before, considering the weather and schedule of the next day, we decided to give up this option and go back to Changchun directly by car.
This tour group includes 8 tourists and 9 tour guides. Everyone gets along well. The last dinner was a self-funded project. Lao Li called to invite everyone to have dinner together. Everyone is very happy to eat and chat. A small group trip of seven or eight people like this is ideal. Everyone has enough time to communicate with each other, learn about life experiences and make new friends, which is also a great pleasure of traveling.
Xiaojun Hongyu came from Tangshan. During a break, he accidentally talked about the Tangshan earthquake that year. Xiaojun said that all her family members were killed in the Tangshan earthquake, leaving only her and grandpa. At that time, she was only one or two years old, and the hardships of raising her by her grandfather alone can be imagined. His grandfather died a few years ago, and Xiaojun was married and married. Family life is also very happy, but the Tangshan earthquake is an eternal pain in her heart. I only learned about the tragic situation of Tangshan earthquake in books and movies before. Now I have seen the survivors of Tangshan earthquake with my own eyes. I think it's hard for them to survive strongly. I sincerely wish them all the best.
I talked a lot with Tianjin Lao Li. I heard that he is from Tianjin and very kind. I said my in-laws are from Tianjin, and we lived in Tianjin in the winter of 20 18. He invited us to Tianjin to get together at their house next time, and I said I would definitely go. It's good to meet new friends on the trip.